Council relooking at 40 km/h speed limit in all residential areas

CONNOR LUCZKA, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Reduced speed limits may be coming for Stratford’s neighbourhoods.

On Oct. 14, after Stratford city council unanimously voted to reignite a discussion on a 40 kilometre an hour speed limit in all residential areas, Coun. Larry McCabe made a referral motion to re-cost a city-wide implementation.

As he said, he is hoping to increase road safety while keeping costs low for the city.

“I wanted to refer this back to staff to re-cost the plan and possibly come forward with a pilot project for the Avondale area using internal resources,” McCabe said. “Keeping the cost as low as possible, and see whether that is a possibility and can be brought forward.”

In a circa. 2023 report, it was estimated that to implement a city-wide change it would cost $235,000 to replace 220 signs, though costs have only increased exponentially.

Resident Kate Mulrooney spoke at the meeting, in favour of a change. Having lived on the corner of two residential streets with 50 kilometre an hour limits, she is aware of just how dangerous such an innocuous limit is.

“When I moved onto that street over six years ago, I did not realize how many times I would have to shoot out my own door and rescue people who had been in collisions at that corner,” Mulrooney explained. “It's quite terrifying to be sitting in your own garden and hear a crunch of two vehicles, hopefully two people in vehicles and not a vehicle and pedestrian. The last time really got me because both vehicles had children in them, one of whom was in the care of CAS. It was just a horrible experience.

“… It's true that there isn't one silver bullet that's going to make every single road in Stratford safe all at the same time,” Mulrooney went on to say. “Traffic calming measures are as simple as a stop sign and as complex as putting a traffic circle in … Reducing speed limits is a very low bar initial step to bring speed limits within the city down to a level that's safe for everybody.”